


Stolen Glances

by ShadowHylian



Category: Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, LinkSheik
Genre: M/M, Shink LinkSheik AwkwardSheik UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 03:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1764387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowHylian/pseuds/ShadowHylian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Link returns to Hyrule after four years spent travelling Termina, Labrynna and Holodrum, a phantom has watched him from the shadows. Who is this shadow and for what purpose does he follow the Hero?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unintended Meeting

Stolen Glances

Chapter 1: An Unintended Meeting

Silently, from the shadows of the deep forest of Hyrule, I watched the Hero. I had watched him travel, followed his every move since he returned. He unloaded the heavy pack he was carrying and leant against a nearby tree, resting under the shade of the forest canopy. Ever since he returned to Hyrule after four years of travelling the neighbouring lands of Termina, Holodrum and Labrynna, I have followed him like a shadow since Princess Zelda, that interfering fool, destroyed both his memory (which had luckily returned over time) and his existence.

The thought of it still made me seethe with anger. She manipulated him from the very beginning, burdened him with a dangerous mission and even stole seven years of his life. Even I, who was both his guide and his friend, who taught him the warp songs and how important it was for him to succeed on his journey was used against him. She tricked him into believing that I was her alter-ego, her disguise that she used to evade the Evil King and that I never existed to begin with. Quite fitting, really, since the Shadow Folk are easy to hide. The Hero's face as Zelda switched places with me in the Temple of Time was still etched into my mind. The confused expression and betrayal carved into his features, the anger emanating from him.

Since that day, I decided to look out for him when he returned from his travels and I've watched the hero, unknown to him, from the shadows. Maybe it was the fact that the hero had put his trust in me during our encounters that I've felt that it is my duty to watch over him? Since he befriended me even though I am one of the Shadow Folk is this why I've grown attached to him?

A loud crack issued from the tree branch on which I was crouching. An ominous creak and a loud snap followed this, the branch gave way and I, not quick enough to react (or maybe I wasn't concentrating) crashed to the ground, landing tangled in the thick undergrowth of the forest floor.

"Sheik?" a surprised voice spoke. I quickly got to my feet, turned to the source of the voice and froze.

"…W-we meet again, Link" I managed to stutter while trying to retain some dignity. The Hero's face contorted in rage as I spoke to him. He unsheathed his sword and bolted towards me with an angry snarl, seizing me by the throat and pinning me to the nearby tree. To say that his touch was not gentle was an understatement. In fact, he was gripping my neck so tightly that he was in danger of snapping it. As I spluttered for breath, he brought the sword to my throat and murmured in a deadly voice.

"Who are you, Impostor?!" he demanded, tightening his grip.

"L…Link…it's…me" I choked, struggling against his grip, but he didn't waver. I stole a quick glance at his eyes; the ice blue was fuelled by fire and scarlet flecks seemed to burn from within the cerulean. They showed no mercy. The sword still balancing on my throat, he moved his right hand to the cowl that was hiding my face. Panicked, I realised that he was going to remove it and I tilted my head back away from his reach, craning my head away from him. Unable to avoid his reach any further and with no alternative way of escape, I swung my head forward colliding with Link, head-butting the Hero forcefully. As Link recoiled, I managed to reach the pouch on my belt and withdrew three long, razor-sharp Senbon needles. Holding them between the fingers of my right hand, I raised my arm and stabbed them into Link's hand. He released me with a grimace and I took the opportunity to hastily back away from him. Link glared at me as he clutched his bleeding hand, grinding his teeth in anger. I backed away, watching his dangerous expression.

'I shouldn't be here. I should leave.' I thought quickly and I turned to jump away into the trees, but a strong grip caught me by the arm. I turned round to face Link, who had seized my wrist with such ferocity that he was making my arm go numb. Before I could even attempt to escape, he drew back his left fist and punched me hard on the jaw with a gauntleted hand, tearing both my skin and the cowl I wore over my face. I stumbled and fell backwards, colliding with the tree behind me, white dots flashing in front of my eyes as my head smashed into it. My head swimming, I slumped to the ground.

"I said who are you, Impostor?!" he repeated forcefully. Weakly, I tried to stand, but I did not have the strength to do so. As I came to my senses, I was able to remove a Deku nut from the pouch on my belt as Link approached me and I threw it down in the space in front of me. A loud snap and a flash of light appeared as it made contact with the ground, effectively rendering Link sightless for a few moments as I hastily made my escape.

When I had safely hidden away in the shadows of the forest, resting in the trees of the Great Forest, I removed the bindings on my injured right arm. A nasty purplish-blue ring adorned my slender wrist and luckily it was only bruised. I replaced my arm guard, placing it further down than its usual position to cover the bruise and I rebound my forearm. Making sure that I was completely hidden, I lowered my cowl to treat the wounds on my face. As I dabbed some ointment on the large, deep gashes on my face, I couldn't help but smile wryly as I remembered Link asking me why I hid my face.  
/"Sheik?" he spoke, "Why are you so mysterious?" he asked.

"What do you mean, Hero?"

"Why do you hide your face…and disappear if anyone gets too close?"

"It is dishonourable for a Sheikah to show his face to outsiders." I replied, "It makes it easier for the Shadow Folk to go unnoticed if you cannot see their face."/

Once I had treated my wounds, I pulled my cowl back over my face to the bridge of my nose. As I leant back against the tree trunk, an emotion quite like helplessness washed over me. I knew it was not his fault for attacking me, but something about seeing him so hostile discontented me. Princess Zelda had completely ruined his life, so no wonder he thought that I didn't exist. He reacted exactly as I expected him to and that was the reason I avoided his presence. He wouldn't believe I was a real person all because of that Princess Zelda's interference.

As I put my equipment away, I removed my lyre from my pouch and began to absently strum it, losing myself in the melody and my thoughts as night fell.

A noise awoke me from my light slumber, triggering my defensive instincts. I slept on a hair's trigger and the slightest noise; a movement from the forest floor or the wind rustling through the trees would alert my suspicions. As I looked towards the source of the noise, it became louder and I realised that it was the sound of a Wolfos snarling. Judging by the sounds coming from the woods, it wasn't a lone Wolfos either: it was a pack of them. At the very least there were three of them. I moved through the treetops towards the source of the sound, and as I approached the source of the sound, I saw the light of a campfire glowing brightly under the darkness that shrouded the forest.  
'No, surely not.' I thought as I caught a glimpse of a figure who sat by the fire, my suspicions confirmed. I jumped from the treetops and onto the forest floor, where I saw the still form of the Hero propped up against a tree, a small fire crackling nearby. For a moment I thought that he was injured, but he shifted slightly and breathed deeply; evidently he was asleep. I paused for a moment, watching the Hero sleep. For some reason, it calmed me to see him so relaxed, but this was immediately quashed. It was foolish of him to be so unprotected. I looked around, confused as to the location of the enemies, when three full-grown Wolfos stepped out of the shadows bearing their fangs and snarling menacingly. Usually one Wolfos was trouble enough, but taking on three at once was dangerous. I quickly rifled through my pouch search for any equipment that could defeat such a large foe. My Senbon needles were not effective, unless I stabbed them in the heart and that was a slim chance. The small dagger that I carried would hardly even damage the beasts and so would the metal whip-like chain that I possessed. My only option was to stun them with Deku nuts, but that would only give me a moment to escape; I wouldn't be able to fend them off or have enough time to move Link away from them. I turned towards the sleeping Link, an idea forming in my mind. If I could wake him, we might be able to defeat the Wolfos together. Although, I'm sure that he wouldn't take too kindly to being forcibly woken by the person who had recently head-butted him in the face. Dismissing this thought, I threw a Deku nut at Link, which struck him on the forehead with a loud snap and he jerked awake. He looked around dazedly, before he spotted me.

"You!" he shouted, angrily. Before he could attack me, however, he noticed the three Wolfos approaching the clearing where we stood and he hastily took up his Hylian Sword and shield, ready to fight. I took up my small dagger and moved over to him so that I could keep the Wolfos in sight and stood before it in a fighting stance.

The largest of the creatures approached us, circling round to find an opening; a weak spot that it could attack. Bearing its fangs, it lunged towards me with a snarl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I dodged to the side and plunged my dagger deep into its back, ripping through its flesh, blood spurting from its wound. As the Wolfos recoiled with a howl, I quickly glanced at Link, who was fending off the second Wolfos, while another, unnoticed by him, was circling behind him.

"Link, look out!" I yelled, throwing a Deku nut at the Wolfos that was about to ambush him, stunning the beast long enough for Link to jump out of the way and allowing Link to focus on the Wolfos in front of him. The Wolfos swiped its paw at him, attempting to tear his flesh with its razor-sharp claws. Link thrust his shield out in front of him defensively, stopping the beast from slashing his arms with its claws and pushed the creature away from him forcefully. As the beast fell to the ground, Link thrust his sword downwards, stabbing the beast directly through the skull, instantly killing it and turned to the other now recovered Wolfos who was dazedly getting to its feet.

A snarling behind me told me that the Wolfos that I had wounded had gotten to its feet and was approaching me again. I tore my gaze away from Link battling with the other Wolfos, turning my attention back to the approaching one. Before I realised it, a sharp pain pierced my right leg. As pain swept over me, I looked down and saw that the Wolfos had bitten my lower leg badly, a large open wound just below my knee where it had gouged out my flesh and scarlet blood pouring from it. Screaming in agony, nausea and panic overcoming me, my legs buckled and I collapsed to the ground. I attempted to kick away the beast, who was steadily approaching me, my own blood dripping from its chin, but I did not have the strength to force it away. I still held my dagger limply in my right hand, and I slowly brought my hand towards me in a futile attempt to defend myself. As the Wolfos stood in front of my wounded body and moved closer, intending to attack me again, I used the last of my strength to thrust the dagger forwards, forcing the blade deep into the creatures head, stabbing the Wolfos between the eyes and it howled in pain before it slumped forwards and was dead almost instantly. I crawled out from under the corpse and moved over to a tree so that I could lean against it and rested there. I attempted to stem the flow of blood seeping from my wound by un-wrapping the bandages on my arms and tying them tightly over the wound on my leg, reducing the amount of blood that I was rapidly losing. I tried to call to Link, but my voice was little more than a hoarse whisper as I tried to fight the pain in my leg. He couldn't hear me over the noise of the last Wolfo that he was still fighting. The bites of the Wolfos were always very painful, it's what made them so dangerous since their victim couldn't fight back. My vision was hazy and unfocused and faded to blackness as the pain got too much. I slipped into unconsciousness shortly afterwards.

The next thing I was aware of was a strong grip shaking me roughly awake and I opened my eyes to find Link crouched down beside me, a deadly expression on his face that did not quite reach his eyes, Hylian Sword held threateningly in his left hand.

"Why did you come here to warn me? Who are you?" he said in a slightly muffled voice as he tried to suppress his anger. I tried to reply, but I felt a sharp pain in my chest, it hurt to see him so angry, it was even worse to see it directed at me. I couldn't speak. In reply to his question, I reached into my pouch on my belt and withdrew my lyre and strummed a few notes and saw recognition, shock and confusion on his face as I played six notes, repeating them over and over. The Prelude of Light: the first song that I taught him. This was my last resort; if he didn't believe me now, he never would.

"That song…" Link said, a stunned expression on his face. "Sheik?"


	2. Of Old Scars and Healing

Chapter 2: Of Old Scars and Healing.  
"You can't be Sheik. Sheik didn't exist to begin with." Link spoke bluntly and I frowned at him, annoyed. I knew that he wouldn't believe me, but after meeting me and even playing the first song that I taught him, I thought that I might be at least be able to sway his judgment. But no, he just had to be stubborn.

"Why can't I be real?" I asked sharply, the annoyance evident in my abrupt tone.

"Sheik is Zelda." he stated bluntly. The tone in which he said this affected me as if he had punched me again. It was evident that I was only considered as Zelda's alter-ego and not as myself.

"Link-" I began to speak, but I winced as the pain in my leg seemed to double as I tried to move it. I moved my hands to my leg, gripping the blood-soaked bandage that was placed around it and tried to stem the flow. As my wound twinged again, a sound of pain escaped me. Link stood by, his brow slightly furrowed as though he was deciding something. After a moment, he spoke up.

"Why did you come here?" he asked suspiciously, "and why are you disguised as someone else?"

"I saw that you were in danger, so I helped you out. I'm sure you would've done the same, Hero." I spoke, not wanting to reveal that I had been watching over him for the past three years. I chose to ignore the rest of the question.

"That doesn't answer my question." Link said quickly, "and how do you know me?" he asked suspiciously. I frowned, losing patience with the Hero.

"I'm wasting my time. Evidently you do not believe me." I said, temporarily forgetting my injured leg as I marched away. As I walked forward, pain shot through my leg as I put my weight on it. Already weak from my injury, my legs buckled under the strain and I collapsed to the ground. As I shakily got to my feet, he said nothing. I tried to walk, but it was taking all of my strength just to stand.

"I do not believe that you are a threat..." Link said evenly, weighing his words carefully, "Since you warned me about the Wolfos, I do not think that you are the enemy."

"Of course I am not the enemy." I said, slightly irritated by his lack of help.

"Though, I still don't know why you would disguise yourself as someone else." he said and began to rummage through his supplies when I had groaned in pain. Link stopped searching for a moment, unable to find what he was looking for. "I'm afraid that I don't have anything to bind your wound with." he said, " Hang on..." he spoke up, evidently having had an idea. He then took the forest green hat from his head and held it thoughtfully in his hands, "this might work." he said approaching me and tying his hat tightly around my calf muscle. "There, that should do for now. At the very least, it should stop you losing any more blood. I'll take you to Castle Town. There will be a healer there who can treat you." he said, helping me to my feet.

"Not Castle Town. Link…I need to get to Kakariko." I spoke weakly as I tried to stay standing. "Use these." I said holding out two Deku nuts, "It's a teleport device."

"How do I use them?" the bemused Hero asked.

"You'll need to hold onto me and concentrate on Kakariko. Then when you're ready, throw them to the ground."

Link clutched onto my shoulder and concentrated for a few moments, before slamming the Deku nut to the ground.

A few moments later, Link and I arrived at the entrance to Kakariko Village.

"Ding dong, ding dong. The current time is - hey, are you alright?" the Clock Soldier asked as I lost my balance and swayed alarmingly to the side.

"He's injured and he's lost quite a lot of blood." Link explained.

"Impa's…I need to get to Impa's house." I spoke. Even though she was no longer a resident of Kakariko, Impa was the village elder and was the most adept at healing magic.

"Impa isn't here, but there are skilled healers in the village that can treat him." the Clock Soldier spoke to Link as they supported me, helping me get to the healer's house.

We reached the Healer's house quickly and the Clock Soldier knocked upon the door. An elderly woman opened the door and Link quickly explained about my injuries and asked if she could treat me. I was not aware of what happened next as my senses seemed to fade, my vision blurring and my hearing distorting as pain overcame me and I blacked out.

Hazily, I drifted back into consciousness, becoming aware of the warm sunlight on my unmasked face as I came round. Slowly, I opened my eyes and my vision adjusted to the room that was bathed in a bright glow due to the sunlight streaming in the window. I sat up slowly, tensing as my wound which stung when I tried to move it.  
The room that I was in was simple and sparsely furnished with only the bed I was lying in, a cupboard and a small bedside table with an extinguished candle upon it occupying the space. As I looked more closely, I noticed that there was a reel of green cloth lying on top of the table next to the candle.

'Green cloth?' I thought questioningly, reaching out towards it and lifting it from the table. It was Link's hat, I saw as I looked at the garment which bore the faint outlines of bloodstains on the fabric. He had used it to prevent any further blood loss from my wound. I smiled slightly as I ran the cloth through my hands. This was one of Link's most treasured possessions; he was never seen without it and hardly removed it from his head. He must have forgotten to take it with him...

There was a knock on the door and an old woman, who I though must be the healer stepped into the room.

"Oh, so you're awake?" she spoke, "I was beginning to wonder when you'd come round. You've been unconscious for two days."

"Two days? I've been asleep as long as that?" I asked unbelievingly.

"Yes, you've been out cold for most of that time. It's to be expected from a Wolfos bite. Especially one as bad as that." she replied, " I haven't been able to heal you yet, I've only cleaned the wound and stitched it." she said, "Here." she added, handing me a jar of Blue Potion, which I reluctantly drunk. The potion tasted foul and it made me want to retch, but I forced myself to drink it the liquid, even though it burned my throat. Almost immediately, I could feel the pain in my leg lessen slightly as it began to heal. Slowly, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and gingerly tested my right leg, carefully judging if I would be able to walk on it.

"That man who brought you here said something about going to Hyrule Castle." the healer said as I handed the empty bottle back to her. I said nothing. I knew that he going to tell Zelda of my re-appearance, but I was not concerned about what she would say. I replaced my cowl over my face and began to collect my belongings, thanking the healer for her help as I left the house.

As I wandered through Kakariko village, I saw that it was a peaceful as always. The last time I had stepped foot in my native village was during the Imprisoning War when the village was on fire. I disliked being back here; this place held too many memories for me to be at ease. I looked around idly, very little had changed in Kakariko village and it still reminded me of my past. Shaking off this thought, I headed past the graveyard into the Shadow Temple. It had been a while since I had been there.

(Meanwhile...)  
Link stepped into the Castle courtyard and walked over towards Zelda, who was sitting on the steps beneath the window like she always did. She stood up the greet Link as he approached her.

"Link," she spoke, "It's been a long time since I saw you last. How are you?"

"Princess Zelda." Link greeted her curtly, inclining his head a few inches before speaking again. "There are important matters that I must discuss with you."

"What's wrong?" she asked in a concerned tone. Link hesitated for a moment; he knew that he was going to sound ridiculous, but he had to make sure. He wondered how best to explain the situation to her.

"In the forest a few days ago…I met a Sheikah, who claimed to be Sheik. At first I though he must have been an impostor, but now I'm not so sure." he spoke, "He knew who I was and he knew the warp song, the Prelude of Light." Link explained. The princess let out a sigh before speaking.

"Link, I've told you before. Sheik was my alter-ego. He doesn't exist; he was only my disguise. He was never a person to begin with." She said impatiently.

"I know, I know." Link said hastily, "But it really did seem like him. How could a stranger know my name and the warp song?"

"Link, listen to me." Zelda said sharply, "He isn't real. It could be witchcraft or an illusion that was cast to trick you." She spoke.

"He seemed pretty real to me." Link muttered, running his hand over the large bruise that Sheik had inflicted on him.

"He is not real." Zelda repeated forcefully, emphasizing the words. "Do you think my judgment is wrong?" she asked, crossing her arms in a superior sort of way.

"No, but…"

"Well that's it settled, then." She spoke, her tone indicating that the topic was now closed and she looked at Link with a forced smile.

As Link walked out of the courtyard, Princess Zelda thought of the news that she had just heard. So, Sheik had decided to show himself, had he? She had warned the Sheikah not to interfere, but it seems that he was not heeding her words. 'Well,' she thought, 'I'll just have to intervene before they meet again.' Her "Warrior of the Light" mustn't think that he has a free reign to do as he pleases. It appeared that he needed to be further honed to her design; he was still questioning her judgment and that was something that she was not prepared to tolerate. Her warrior had to blindly obey any command, unthinkingly and without question. She had to stop the Sheikah from influencing him.


	3. The Survivor of the Massacre

Chapter 3: The Survivor of the Massacre  
As darkness fell over Kakariko Village, silence blanketed the settlement as the villagers' retired for the night. No sound except the faint rustling of the tree branches and the creaking of the windmill's sails could be heard as it continued to turn. The only place this silence did not extend was the Shadow Temple, where a Sheikah shifted restlessly in his sleep.

Harsh screams pierced the silence of the night. The sound of swords clanging, the battle cries of warriors. The intruders holding lit torches and setting fire to people's homes with the inhabitants still inside them. The village ablaze, smoke pouring from the windows as the houses were consumed by fire. The sound of splintering wood, cracking and twisting as it burned, the wooden houses collapsing as the buildings were burned to the ground. Flashes of people running out of the furnace, trying to escape the fires that were raging through the village. The warriors slaughtering any who escaped the inferno without hesitation. No remorse was shown as they murdered all who crossed their path; even women and children were killed. No one was spared.

A young Sheikah boy, no older than seven years of age, was seen standing in front of the well observing this carnage as it occurred. Tears spilled from his ruby eyes as the people of his village were scythed down before him, clutching his ears in a desperate attempt to blot out the terrible screams that filled the night air.

A Hylian knight approached the sobbing child, his blade held in his hand ready to end the child's life. The boy looked up to see the Hylian knight standing in front of him, a twisted grin on the warrior's face.

"Time to disappear, little shadow" he murmured.

The boy stepped away from the assassin, tumbling over and backing away unsteadily. Terror rooted him to the ground, but he knew that he would die if he didn't run away. No one was meant to live.

As the knight held his sword above his head, ready to strike downwards with a fatal blow, the boy ran away as fast as he could towards the only place he knew that would be safe for him to hide. He sprinted desperately towards the entrance to the Shadow Temple at the back of the graveyard, not daring to look back as the knight pursued him.

The boy scrambled up the rocky ledge, cutting his hands on the sharp crevices, clinging to the fence with all his strength and clambering over it frantically. As the boy climbed over the fence, the Hylian knight followed him into the graveyard. The warrior stopped chasing him and instead pulled out a crossbow, shooting lit arrows at the boy.

The boy screamed as a fire arrow shot him squarely in the right shoulder and he stumbled, falling into the illusionary door of the Shadow Temple. The child's screams intensified as the magical fiery arrowhead began to burn his skin and clothing, the pain spreading down his right arm as the magic began to scorch his skin.

Sheik awoke from the nightmare shaking and sweating. The images were still hewn into his mind, burning before his eyes as clear as the day the event had occurred. The Sheikah sprang up quickly, under the impression that the knight he had seen in his nightmare was still chasing him, and fell off of the circular pedestal colliding painfully with the hard stone floor.  
As Sheik came to his senses, he realised that it was just another of his recurring nightmares, though this one was particularly vivid. He unsteadily got to his feet, stretching his stiff bones and tense muscles that was the result of resting on the hard stone pedestal all night and sighed, a troubled expression on his usually impassive face. That nightmare was one that he did not want to relive. He has already lived through the horrors of the massacre once without revisiting them in his dreams. Warily, he looked towards the Eye of Truth that was carved into the stone doorway that led to the heart of the Shadow Temple. He couldn't help but hear the faint voices that echoed in the temple; the spirits that spoke the truth of the near extinction of the Sheikah.

The bloody history of Hyrule's Civil War.

As he stared at the symbol, the scenes from his nightmare once again flashed through his mind, the screams echoing in his ears. He couldn't stay here any longer. Though he knew the truth of what happened on that night, the spirits of the Shadow Temple would force him to dwell upon the murder of his people.

If he stayed here any longer, the truth would overwhelm him.

Sheik quickly gathered his belongings and almost sprinted out of the temple, trying to escape his past.

I sat atop the tree outside the entrance to Kakariko Village, waiting for the Hero to return as the sun began to rise across the horizon. I waited silently, resting on the branch of the tree and watched the sky slowly change from a watery orange to a cerulean blue as the sun rose. As I watched this peaceful scene, my thoughts lingered on the nightmare.  
'The Hylians destroyed my people. Should I really be aiding a Hylian; the same race that slaughtered the Sheikah to the brink of extinction?' I thought, my anger increasing as I remembered the nightmare of the massacre. 'I owe the Hylians nothing. I am not bound to the Royal Family.' I thought defiantly.

I was distracted from my thoughts as the Castle Town drawbridge was opened. The steel chains creaked under the strain of the structure as the heavy wooden bridge was lowered into place straddling the moat and allowing access to Hyrule Castle Town. I watched the archway into the town idly, not really concentrating and it was a few moments before I saw Link stepping out of Castle Town and walking in the direction of Kakariko Village. I saw him cross the small bridge over Zora's river and approach the place where I had hidden.

As the Hero walked in front of my hiding place, I slammed a Deku Nut to the ground. There was a bright flash of light and a loud snap as the object made contact with the ground. I heard a muffled yell as Link was caught off guard and fell over out of surprise. I jumped from my hiding place and landed neatly in front of the stunned Hero as he got to his feet with a disgruntled expression on his face.

"It's you!" the currently hat-less Hero spoke, surprise evident in his voice. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he said angrily, glaring at me as he brushed the dirt off his clothes.

"We meet again, Hero." I spoke simply with a hidden smirk.

"What do you want?" he said bluntly, impatience obvious in his tone. I paused for a moment, thinking. I remembered that the healer had mentioned that Link had gone to Hyrule Castle, which meant that he had spoken to Zelda.

"You have spoken to Princess Zelda about me." I stated, slightly panicked.

If Zelda knew that I had stepped out of the shadows, then she would be searching for me.

"I would have thought that you would have expected it." Link spoke evenly. "I thought you were an assassin, so I was merely confirming your identity when I went to see Princess Zelda."

"And do you know who I am?" I spoke impassively.

"No. You use the disguise of another so I do not know your true identity. Princess Zelda believes that you are an illusion or an assassin in disguise." he said. I frowned at that comment. He still did not know who I am? Zelda must have convinced him that I was a figment of her imagination. After all, she had made him believe that I wasn't real once before.

I remembered when she used her magic to switch places with me in the Temple of Time during the Imprisoning War. She saw me just before I had reached the temple and used her power transport me out of the way while she disguised herself as me and met Link in the temple in my place. Evidently she was going to use the same tactic this time as well.

"Why did you come here?" Link spoke.

"I wished to return this." I said, removing Link's hat from my item pouch and handing it to the Hero. "...and I have things I wish to tell only to you."


	4. |The Hero, the Princess and the Sheikah

Chapter 4: The Hero, the Princess and the Sheikah  
"I've missed that hat." Link said idly. The Hero reached out toward the reel of green clot that I held, his ungloved fingers brushing against my skin as he took it from my grasp and I quickly pulled my hand away. He looked at the hat for a moment before placing it back on his head as usual and smiled. "What was it you wanted to say?"

I paused at this question, thinking how to word what I had to say. After a few moments, I spoke up.

"I was not instructed to aid you during the Imprisoning War." I spoke evenly to the Hero, "Princess Zelda did not know of my role in the Legend of the Hero because this knowledge was passed down by the Sheikah. I acted on my own orders." I said, pausing for a moment to gauge his reaction before continuing. "I meant to tell you this last time we met during the Imprisoning War. I meant to tell you-" I began to say, but a loud noise coming from the direction of Castle Town interrupted me.

A deafening rumbling could be heard from where we stood, a rumbling that caused the ground beneath our feet to tremor and the Hero and I looked around for the source of the noise.

"What's making that sound?" I asked, the shaking ground causing me to sway off balance.

"It's the mountains between Castle Town; the Death Mountain ridge is colliding with the Gerudo Valley ridge. It's an earthquake." he spoke, noticing that the steel chains that were attached to the drawbridge were making loud creaking noises, buckling under the pressure and were beginning to snap apart. Without hesitation, Link and I ran towards Castle Town, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

As we sprinted into Castle Town, we could hear the screams of the inhabitants as they tried to find shelter. The wooden rafters of the town's businesses splintered and twisted under the tremors, causing the structures to tear apart and break easily. The windows shattered, the shards of glass scattering across the cobblestones and the tiles and signposts fell from the buildings, smashing as they made contact with the ground.

"What's causing the earthquake?" I shouted over the noise, trying to avoid the falling debris.

"Every hundred years there is an earthquake in this region of Hyrule. It's because Castle Town is in a unstable area between two mountain ranges. Usually they are only mild, but this on seems stronger." Link spoke quickly, running towards the pathway that led to the castle. I quickly followed him, not paying attention to where he was heading.

As soon as we reached the pathway that led to the castle, I stopped abruptly. Two figures were approaching us and panic began to cloud my mind. I knew who they were. I backed away slightly as I saw Princess Zelda and Impa walk towards us.

"Princess Zelda…" the Hero spoke, confusion evident in his tone as the Princess and her nursemaid stood before us.

I saw a look of slow realisation dawn on the Hero's face as he looked from myself to the Princess Zelda and did a double take, as if trying to confirm what he was seeing was true. For a second, little more than a heartbeat, Link stared at me as though looking upon me properly for the first time. His expression was one of pure shock and confusion as he looked at me intently, disbelief showing on his face.

"You!" Princess Zelda shrieked, her eyes flashing angrily as she looked upon me standing behind the Hero. Link turned back to her with a questioning, and somewhat angry expression. Before he could ask the questions that I knew were coming, I stepped away.

"Sheik." Link began, starting towards me, but he was cut off by Zelda gripping his arm which halted him. With one quick glance back at Link, I threw a Deku nut to the ground and teleported away.

"Why did you lie to me?" Link asked, his voice growing with anger as he turned on the Princess. His expression had changed into one of deep anger. "Explain everything! Why did you lie about Sheik? Why did you tell me he was not a real person?!" he demanded, trying to control his flaring anger.  
"Because he is nothing but a traitor!" she screamed, "He's a filthy shadow that disobeyed me. He should have stayed away! But he had to involve himself!"

"What do you mean he disobeyed you?" Link asked quickly, frowning slightly.

"I never told him to aid you, but he acted anyway! He was told to stay away, but he defied me! And why do you care?!" she yelled, not caring that passers-by were beginning to stare at them. "You hated him for deceiving you!"

"You were the one who deceived me, Princess!" Link spat at Zelda, the little patience he still possessed breaking as his temper grew. "You were the one who involved me in your quest and stole seven years of my life in the process! You're the one who has to have everyone under your control! If there's anyone I should hate, it's you!" he raged at the Princess, glaring angrily at her for a moment before turning his back on her and marching away from her.

Princess Zelda watched the Hero leave impassively. So now her warrior had also defied her? Frowning slightly, she turned to her Sheikah nursemaid.  
"Impa." She spoke calmly to her silent companion, "I think we should keep a closer eye on the Hero…" she said delicately.

"As you wish, Princess." Impa replied before disappearing in a flash of light.

(Link's P.O.V)  
As I tore out of Castle Town and across Hyrule Field in search of the Sheikah, a series of thoughts looped through my mind. 'Why didn't I realise? Why did I trust Zelda's judgement so much? Why did I refuse to believe that Sheik was speaking the truth? Goddesses, what have I done?'

I sprinted through the forest, the branches and leaves rustling noisily as I rifled through the foliage, not caring how much sound I was making. I had to find him.

I heard a sound, a rustling in the trees to my right. I paused, catching my breath and searched for the source of the disturbance. I saw a navy blue streak pass through the foliage in front of me and I pursued it, hoping that it was who I was searching for.

"Sheik!" I called out to the Sheikah as he vaulted from the treetops and jumped to the forest floor, sprinting away from me. I bolted after him, managing to catch up to the Sheikah and seize him by the left forearm. As soon as I had latched onto his arm, Sheik yelled in pain and he seemed to buckle slightly as though I had harmed him. I released him with a frown; I had seized his wrist firmly, but I hadn't grabbed him so hard as to cause him pain. I fixed him with a stern, questioning gaze and looked down at his left arm. Scarlet liquid seeped through the bandages that he wore on his forearms. He was injured.

"What's this?" I asked calmly, but Sheik did not answer. 'Something's wrong', I thought as I saw Sheik look away guiltily. I gently grabbed his wrist and unbound the bandages revealing many deep cuts and gashes on his arm, many of which seemed fresh and were bleeding freely. I stared for a moment, lost for words. These were self-inflicted wounds.

(Sheik's P.O.V)  
The Hero said nothing as he looked upon my wounds. I had the impression that he did not know what to say. I pulled my arm away from him, but he had already seen the injuries there.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked numbly, disbelief etched onto his concerned face. "How long have you been cutting yourself?" he spoke, his voice growing with anger. I couldn't answer him. It felt like a lead weight had lodged itself in my chest. "How long?!" he all but shouted at me.

"…Years." I mumbled, not making eye contact, "It was the only way I could cope…" I said, trying to reason with him.

"Why?" he spoke, trying to contain his anger.

"You've heard them, haven't you?" I asked, "The voices in the Shadow Temple?"

"Yes, but what has that got to do with you?" Link spoke, confused as to why I was asking such a question.

"'What is hidden in the darkness?', 'Tricks full of ill will', 'Here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred'" I spoke, "These phrases refer to the near-extinction of the Sheikah…by the Royal Family."

"What?!" he spoke, shocked at what he was hearing.

"They refer to the Sheikah massacre." I said heavily, wishing that I did not need to speak of the incident, but he had to know. I paused for a moment to arrange my thoughts before speaking again. "About eleven years ago, during Hyrule's Civil War, the Sheikah were under Royal Oath to protect and fight for the Hylian army; we were to act as a shield to prevent any heavy losses to the Hylians. The Sheikah would risk their lives on the frontline and on the most dangerous, unstable areas of Hyrule. However, the Sheikah had sustained severe casualties in the Fierce Wars a few years before the Civil War broke out and our population was dwindling. If we were to fight another war on the same scale as the last so soon after the Fierce Wars we would be risking extinction as our population was still recovering. The Royal Family interpreted our refusal to fight in the Civil War as treachery; they thought that the Sheikah had forsaken their Royal Oath.'

'So we were punished."

"The Hylian Knights invaded the Sheikah only Kakariko Village, setting fire to the houses and burning them to the ground, slaughtering any who escaped the furnace. I only narrowly escaped the massacre by fleeing to the Shadow Temple. I was seven years old at the time. Impa was spared because she was a personal friend of Zelda's mother, the Queen of Hyrule.' I hesitated for a second, before continuing.

'The only way for me to release my pain was to harm myself. I am a Sheikah, who are not allowed to show emotion. I couldn't mourn my people's murder, I couldn't weep over my people's death. I couldn't even feel lonely. So I cut myself to free myself from these emotions and added the blood tear to the Eye of Truth as a symbol of my despair. I renamed it the Weeping Eye and carved it into every Sheikah monument as a permanent symbol of my people's loss."

"What did you use to cause these injuries?" Link asked, trying to keep his voice level, suppressing his anger. In reply to his question, I pulled out three Senbon needles from my item pouch and held them out in front of me.

"You…stabbed yourself with these?" he asked, shock and disbelief present in his appalled tone. I found that I could not look the Hero in the eyes. In fact, I could not even lift my head because I was so ashamed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he spoke evenly, "Why didn't you say?"

"How could I tell you?" I spoke, my voice barley more than a murmur, "I am a shadow."

"No you're not!" Link spoke loudly and his tone alarmed me slightly, "You're not a shadow. You've faced almost as many hardships as I and yet you still believe that you are inferior."

I wasn't listening. Something had distracted me, a rustling in the trees next to where the Hero stood.

"Link." I spoke up quickly, sensing a presence nearby. He frowned at me, wondering what was wrong and I pointed over Link's shoulder, where I could see a faint shadow in the trees above him. The Hero turned round sharply in the direction I had pointed, unsheathing his sword. Someone was waiting in ambush.


	5. Assassins and Awkward Moments

Chapter 5: Assassins and Awkward Moments.  
I panicked, wondering how someone could have approached us without me realising it and tried to find a way to evade the intruder. Whoever the attacker was, they were already relatively close to the clearing in which we stood. I glanced at the Hero and motioned for him to follow as I quickly moved into the shadows, disappearing from sight as I ran from the assassin.

I silently moved through the undergrowth, hardly daring to breathe in case it drew the attention of the assailant and the Hero carefully followed me. We flitted through the foliage swiftly, taking care to stay hidden in the shadows, but the assassin still followed us. Our only chance to shake off the assassin without fighting was for one of us to act as a decoy and try to ambush them before they attacked.

"Link, we need to split up to distract the enemy. You go ahead and I'll ambush them." I spoke quickly, keeping my voice low.

"But what if the assassin catches you off guard or is too strong for you?" he asked.

"You can't sneak up on a Sheikah." I stated, "I'll be fine, now go!" I whispered, turning my back on Link as he quickly disappeared through the trees, waiting for the assailant to appear.

I stiffened as I heard the rustle of foliage in front of me. I waited, poised for battle, Senbon needles and stabbing knife in either hand and carefully studied the surrounding foliage for any sign of movement or disturbance. However, the person who stepped through the trees was not who I expected it to be.  
Impa, the elder Sheikah of Kakariko Village and Princess Zelda's nursemaid and personal bodyguard had walked into the small clearing and stood in front of me with an expression of superiority on her face.

"Lady Impa." I spoke, bowing deeply to the woman in front of me. Even though Impa still served the Royal family, she still commanded my complete respect.

"There is no time to exchange meaningless words, Sheik." she spoke, a steely edge to her sharp voice. "Zelda is looking for you."

I gaped at that statement, wondering why Impa would go against the Princess Zelda's wishes to warm me.

"W-Why are you telling me this?" I stuttered.

"I wouldn't be a true Sheikah if I allowed one of the Shadow Folk to fall into danger when I could have prevented it. You know that the reason I serve the Royal Family is because my life is indebted to Zelda's mother. Since she protected my life, I protect the life of her daughter in her place." she stated, pausing for a second before continuing. "The sooner you leave Hyrule the better. Zelda believes that you are interfering too much and it is only a matter of time before the Princess orders me to forcibly bring you to the castle."

"What do you mean 'forcibly'?" I shot angrily.

"Impa? What are you doing here?" Link spoke, returning to the clearing where Impa and I stood with his sword drawn. " Are you here to cause trouble?" he added, glaring at her angrily.

"No, Hero. I wished to speak with Sheik." she said simply. I had the impression that Impa was about to tell link what she had just told me and I spoke up quickly.

"Link." I said, taking the Hero to the side so that I could speak to him without Impa overhearing. "You must return to Castle Town. I cannot allow you to bear the consequences of my actions. I must journey alone."

"You expect me to walk away as though I know nothing? How can I return to Castle Town when Zelda has been lying to me for the past seven years?" he replied fiercely, his eyes flashing defiantly.

"That's exactly the answer I would have expected from you, Hero of Time." Impa commented loudly, evidently having heard the whole conversation. "I need to return to the castle or else Zelda will be looking for me. Beyond these woods is a plain that leads to the mountain ranges that borders several different towns on the other side of the mountains. That is the quickest way out of Hyrule." she said, taking out a Deku nut and preparing to teleport. "And Link, you'll look after Sheik for me won't you?" she spoke, a small smile tugging her lips. The Hero stiffened at that comment and...was he blushing? With one swift movement, she threw the device to the ground and vanished in a flash of light, leaving a rather heavy silence in her departure.

"Um..." I began, trying to break difficult moment.

"Well, should we travel to the mountains to cross the border?" Link asked.

"It is the quickest way out of Hyrule, but I do not know how long it will take for us to travel there. It may take weeks for us to get there on foot." I spoke evenly.

"We won't need to travel on foot, I can call Epona to take us there." the Hero spoke, pulling out his ocarina and playing Epona's Song which echoed through the air loudly, sounding as if it could be heard miles away.

A few moments passed before we heard the sound of horse hooves approaching and Link's elegant reddish-brown mare stepped into the clearing.

"That didn't take long, she must have been close by." Link mused, patting his loyal horse gently. "Epona can take us there, so it won't take as long travelling by horseback."

"Epona won't be able to carry both of us, she will be slowed by the weight and will tire too easily." I spoke evenly, carefully judging the strength of the horse.

"Epona's strong and you're not heavy, so she'll be able to carry the weight without any problem." Link spoke, mounting the horse and holding out a hand to help me onto Epona's back, which I took and climbed onto the mare's back.

"If we head east, that will take us out of the Great Forest quickly." I stated, looking at a small areas of sky that could be seen through the trees and judging the direction we would need to take.

"Which way is east?" the Hero asked.

"Straight ahead. We'll need to get out of the forest quickly before nightfall." I spoke, looking towards the sky that was lightly tinged orange as the sun began to set.

As the moon sat high in the inky black sky, Link and Sheik rode across the open field toward the mountain ranges that bordered Hyrule. A Wolfos howled in the distance, breaking the almost complete silence that stretched throughout the plain and Link continued to ride over the plain. The Hero was beginning to get drowsy and gave his head a little shake to clear his mind, but his concentration still waned.  
Sheik had long since fallen asleep having had nothing to do, and was leaning against Link's back, his head lightly resting on his shoulder. As if that wasn't distracting the Hero enough, the Sheikah also had his arms wrapped quite tightly around Link's waist so that he wouldn't fall off of the cantering Epona, but he was making Link feel uncomfortable. Especially since he could feel Sheik's chest rising and falling as he breathed slowly and his breath was gently tickling Link's neck. Link tried to ignore the weight of his companion on his back as he continued to ride, but it was proving to be difficult.

I shifted into a more comfortable position, readjusting my head and snuggling into the warmth of the soft fabric. I sighed and tried to fall asleep again, but I heard a small, embarrassed sounding cough and my eyes snapped open. Green fabric and a lock of golden blond hair met my eyes as I blinked slowly. Confused, I moved away and realised that I had been resting my head on Link's shoulder. Mortified, I remembered that I had been embracing him tightly and nuzzling into his neck while I slept. My face flaming, I quickly let go of him, pushing myself away and momentarily forgetting that I was riding a galloping horse.  
"Sheik!" Link called out as he saw me tumble from Epona's back and collide painfully with the hard ground. I gasped as the impact knocked the breath from my lungs, winding me and I unsteadily got to my feet. Link halted Epona, dismounted and came to help me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, helping me get to my feet. "It's really not a good idea to throw yourself from the back of a galloping horse, Sheik." Link joked, smiling broadly and clapping a hand to my shoulder in a friendly gesture.

I had the impression that he was trying to break the rather awkward moment that I had created and realised that I must have caused the hero some embarrassment by latching onto him like that while I slept. However, with his hand still upon my shoulder, couldn't help but remember the warmth of his body as I held him. As his eyes locked onto mine, I could feel myself drowning in his cerulean blue gaze. His eyes, as deep and endless as the ocean showed confusion and I could see my ruby red eyes reflected in the depths. As I continued to stare at him, Link spoke up.

"Sheik? Something wrong?" he asked. As the Hero spoke up, I blushed and looked away, though luckily my cowl hid my embarrassment. I quickly came to my senses and took a few steps away from the hero, who returned to Epona.

"We'll stop over here for the night and continue on the journey at first light." Link spoke, pointing to a small wooded area a few feet away and led Epona by the reins over into the trees.

I still stood rigidly on the spot as I watched the Hero walk away. I felt angry and embarrassed, humiliated by my actions. Why did I freeze up like that? He was probably uncomfortable in my company after I had held onto him like that. Had I destroyed our friendship by acting like that? Surely he wouldn't have minded...it could have been worse if he saw me blushing.

"Sheik?" the Hero called back to me, waiting for me to catch up. He didn't seem to be angry or uncomfortable by what had happened, so I decided to dismiss my thoughts and walked over to the wooded area to set up camp for the night.


	6. Contemplations

Chapter 6: Contemplations  
I leaned back against a tree trunk, my gaze lingering on the flames of the campfire we had lit in the small wooded area that we were currently resting in. I quickly glanced over at the sleeping hero lying a few feet away. He was slumped against a tree with a travelling blanket draped over him and breathing deeply, evidently in a deep sleep.

I returned my gaze to the surroundings, mentally reprimanding myself for not watching out for intruders like I was supposed to, but I couldn't concentrate and my thoughts wandered back to earlier in the evening...

How can I have been so reckless? I am always distant, always expressionless yet I seem to be growing attached to the Hero...

Link...Goddesses knows what he thinks of me now. After all, he knows me as being distant then I cling onto him as if my life depended on it. Shame and humiliation once again surfaced in my conscience. I am a Sheikah; I'm not allowed to show or harbour emotions.

It was forbidden.

They had risen early the next day, before the sun had risen. Link packed his belongings and saddled up Epona, before turning to Sheik.  
He looked distracted, Link thought, as he approached his companion, but he dismissed it as Sheik got to his feet. However, Sheik seemed uneasy, almost wary and he didn't quite reach Link's eyes when he spoke to him.

"We should probably get moving." he stated, "How long is it to the next town?"

"According to Impa's instructions, there is a half-way house on the way to the mountain border. If we set a good pace, we should reach there before nightfall."

"Surely it won't take that long?" Link spoke.

"This region of Hyrule is very sparsely populated. That is the nearest stop that we can rest at." Sheik said evenly and the Hero seemed to accept this reasoning as he swiftly mounted Epona with Sheik quickly copying him.

Sheik hesitated, not wanting to get into another situation like the previous night. Instead of holding onto Link's waist like he had previously done, Sheik placed his hands on Link's shoulders with his forearms resting on Link's back.

They rode across the plain without rest for hours on end. Sheik, who had been up all night on watch, was exhausted, but he was determined not to fall asleep. However, his mind was hazy with lack of sleep and it was causing him to sway off balance.

Link noticed this, but decided to act as if he hadn't. The Sheikah was obviously still mortified by his actions the previous night.

As Sheik had predicted, they had reached the small settlement just as the sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon. They reached the half-way house tired, hungry and hoping that the inn had vacancies.  
They entered the small, dimly lit entranceway into the inn and Link headed over to the reception to secure accommodation. Sheik went into the bar to order something for them to eat. After two days gone without eating, the pair weren't particularly concerned with what the inn had to eat as long as it was edible.

A few hours later, Link still sat in the bar swilling the contents of his half-empty tankard around idly. Sheik had retired to their twin room after he had eaten so that he could catch up on his sleep, leaving Link to ponder his thoughts alone.

Link could not quite ignore thinking of Sheik. His thoughts had lingered on the Sheikah ever since he had held Link while he was riding the previous night. Although his actions were unintentional, Sheik had re-awakened old memories that Link thought that he had forgotten.

Ever since he had first met the mysterious Sheikah, he had felt drawn to the infinitely wise man who seemed to bear similar burdens as himself. At first, he thought it was merely the mystery of the Sheikah who masked his face and disappeared whenever Link approached him. But Link soon began to realise that he was falling in love with Sheik.

Of course, he tried to dismiss his feelings, remain impassive and concentrate on his quest, but they still haunted his consciousness. Sheik never found out that he felt this way and Link began to convince himself that the Sheikah did not show emotion, which helped Link realise that Sheik would never feel the same.

He was heartbroken when he found out that Sheik was Zelda in disguise, feeling that he had been cheated and betrayed, which manifested as a blind rage. After the defeat of Ganondorf, Link travelled to other lands as a way of clearing his mind and locking his emotions away as if his heart had turned to steel.

Now, however, these emotions had resurfaced and he was not sure how to deal with them. All of the emotional scars he carried from seven years ago had returned.

When Link had retired to their twin room, he saw Sheik's belongings and the unmade bed that he had slept in, but no sign of the Sheikah, himself.

Seeing the window ajar, Link leaned out of it and heard the sound of Sheik's lyre coming from the rooftop. Apparently, the Sheikah did not like the confinement of the room. Smiling to himself, Link placed his belongings at the foot of his bed, removed his boots, hat and outer tunic and climbed into his bed.

I sat gently playing my lyre on the rooftop of the inn, watching the stars as I strummed an old Sheikah song, but the sound was merely something to break the silence.  
My mind was all over the place. Never had I been as unsure of my place than I had been when travelling with the Hero today. I was a complete wreck. To realise that a Sheikah such as myself could be so un-composed was slightly worrying and I wondered what had caused me to act so unlike myself.

I supposed, in a small part of my consciousness, I know exactly why I was acting this way. However, that was an area that I was unwilling to venture into.

It was forbidden.

I was not allowed to show emotion, especially not love and least of all towards another male. It was not wise to act upon such emotions.

The next day I had risen early and went to buy supplies from the small shop before the Hero had even woken. We needed to stock up on our supplies, but I found this a convenient way to avoid Link without him noticing. I did not want to be in his company unnecessarily.

I saw Link exit the inn from where I stood on the opposite side of the small settlement, and he began to approach me with a smile lighting his features. As he smiled at me, my heart shot into my throat and I found it difficult to breathe.

I didn't know how long I could keep lying to myself about my emotions as my heart ached with the pain of knowing he would never feel the same. It was unwise for me to be harbouring such emotions for the Hero. In the worst case scenario, if anyone found out I felt this way towards another man, I would be hanged, accused of being a harbinger of evil. I had already gotten Link into enough trouble already and, even though I knew it was wrong, I recklessly wanted to act upon my emotions. A friend he may be, but he would be disgusted by me if I told him how I felt as I was sure that Link was not that way inclined.

I couldn't stay here any longer, I thought as I saw the Hero walk towards me. I hesitated for a second, little more than a heartbeat, before I pulled out a Deku nut and teleported away in a flash of light.

Link looked around trying to find out where the Sheikah had teleported to. Sheik's behaviour was becoming worrying and he seemed to be avoiding Link's presence. Had he offended him in some way?, Link wondered as he began to look around the town in search of his absent companion.  
Hours later, Link located Sheik under the shade of a lone tree on the edge of the settlement. The Sheikah had his arms crossed and was leaning against the tree as if he was contemplating. In fact, he looked as though he was troubled by something.

I saw the Hero approaching where I stood in a purposeful stride and a somewhat determined expression on his face. He looked annoyed, and I knew it was because I had teleported away from him. He had probably been looking for me for a while...  
"Sheik why're you avoiding me?" Link spoke sharply, a slight furrow between his eyes as he came to a halt in front of me.

"I don't know what you mean." I replied vaguely, concentrating on the light filtering through the tree leaves.

"You've been acting weird for the past few days. What's wrong?" He asked, a definite note of concern and frustration in his voice.

"Nothing." I said and walked past him. However, he caught me by the shoulder and turned me back to face him. The moment his hand clasped my arm, cold shivers went down my spine.

"Why can't you look me in the eyes?" he said gently. I tried to move away, but he kept a firm grip on my arm and my gaze moved to his. The moment our eyes connected, it felt like I was drowning in his cerulean blue gaze, unable to look away. A blush spread over my face as I looked upon his handsome face, though luckily my cowl hid it. I became aware of how close we were standing and I tried to find my voice; I had to escape.

"Let me go." I said as calmly as possible, but my voice shook a little.

"And why do you hide your face?" he continued as though he hadn't heard me. He moved forward and I, cornered into the tree I was leaning against, was unable to move away. His hand moved to my cowl and I panicked. The last time I lashed out because I was startled; he caught me off guard, but I didn't want to have to hurt him again. I tried to crane my neck away, but he easily latched onto the cowl and pulled it away, revealing my face.

I averted my eyes; I felt angry and embarrassed. I saw him look at me with mild surprise and my blush deepened. Now there wasn't anything to conceal me. I was thrust into the spotlight and I hated it.

He had crossed a line.

"You've had your fun, now let me go." I said icily, anger etched into every syllable.

"I only wondered what you looked like." he said, sounding almost childish. Great, he thought it was all some big joke. He had just breached my privacy and yet he didn't think that there was anything wrong about it. I still glared in the opposite direction.

"What's with the scowl?" he asked as though I was being unreasonable. I ignored him, but he grabbed me by the chin and forced me to look at him.

"Let me go, Link." I said again, my voice cracking as I descended into a state of panic. I tried to think of a way out of this mess, but my mind was blank. Wasn't it enough for him to humiliate me that he had to torment me as well?

"Answer my question and I'll let you go. Why can't you look at me?" he said softly.

"Time passes, people change…" I said, reeling off anything that came into my mind, now a definite quaver in my voice.

"Isn't that the speech in which you told me 'young love will become deep affection'?" he asked quizzically, mocking thought. I froze, feeling trapped and said nothing as my face turned scarlet.

"Sheik…" he whispered into my ear, "…I already know." he said softly, his breath tickling the side of my face as he spoke. As I tried to comprehend that statement, the Hero gently tilted my chin and pressed his lips to mine.

I felt as though I had been doused in icy water, I felt light-headed and I was trembling front head to foot. Automatically, I responded to his touch and it was a few moments before I came to my senses and pushed him away from me, breaking the contact. He said nothing as he looked at me, but he wore a faint smile as he replaced my cowl over my face and moved away.

"Come on, let's get going." he said as though nothing had happened as he walked away in front of me and I still stood, shell-shocked by what had occurred. "Oh, and Sheik?" he called back over his shoulder, "Your face is cute."


	7. Confessions of Love and Hatred

Chapter 7 Confessions of Love and Hatred

I stood silently, as rigid as a board. My mind seemed to have gone numb as I registered what had occurred. Surely I hadn't done what I thought I did?

"Sheik?" I heard Link call back to me. I turned to face him, still shell-shocked and stared into his azure-blue eyes. In that moment, something had changed and I panicked. I pulled out a Deku nut and slammed it to the ground, teleporting in a flash of light.

We never spoke for the rest of the evening. I knew that Link was avoiding me and I was also avoiding him, but that would lead us nowhere.

It was obvious that the Hero felt that he had forsaken my friendship. It was an accident; I didn't expect him to act like that. I didn't think he'd tease me so much as to kiss me.

It was my fault. I was the one who couldn't keep my emotions at bay. It was so obvious now, I thought, so obvious that he was only joking and I made the mistake of responding. I, the usually impassive Sheikah, caved in to my feelings.

I had to find him and try to bridge the rift that I had caused before it was too late. It was likely that Link would not come looking for me, so I set out in search of him.

The Hero sat fishing at the edge of the small lake on the outskirts of the village. Fishing was his favourite pastime, but he did not have the heart for it today. It was merely something to occupy his mind as his thoughts still wandered to Sheik.  
Why did he have to go so far? He knew that he had angered and humiliated the Sheikah by removing his cowl without permission, but he longed to see the face of the Sheikah that he had fallen in love with.

The setback had caused their journey to come to a halt. They had been planning to leave for another village today, but Link felt that he should delay their journey for a bit so that Sheik would not feel awkward or hostile as they continued to travel. In all honesty, he didn't even know where the Sheikah had went to as he remembered what had occurred.

/"Come on, let's get going. Oh, and Sheik?" the Hero called over his shoulder, "Your face is cute." he smiled and walked away, but Sheik just stood stock still. "Sheik?" Link asked. The Sheikah turned numbly to face him, and a few moments passed in which Sheik continued to gaze at the Hero until he pulled out a Deku Nut and disappeared in a flash of light./

Now the Hero had no idea of where to find Sheik; he could teleport anywhere in Hyrule with those Deku nuts, so trying to find him was futile.

I found the Hero sitting by the lakeside. A fishing rod lay abandoned on the grass as Link looked across the water and I suspected that the Hero was uninterested in his pastime. I jumped from my treetop position and landed deftly on the ground without any sound being heard.  
I hesitated. What should I say?

I slowly walked over to the Hero and sat beside him on the banks of the lake. He did not give any indication as the whether he heard me or not. A few moments passed before I decided to speak.

"Link…" I began, unsure of what to say or how to explain away what happened. I opened my mouth to speak, but the Hero took the opportunity to voice what was on his mind.

"…I'm sorry." he spoke so quietly that I almost never heard his voice. "I'm sorry, Sheik." he said, turning to face me with a regretful expression on his face. "I breached your privacy."

"I don't really mind showing my face." I spoke, unmasking my face to show that there was no hard feelings between the Hero and myself. "If you wanted to see what I looked like, you could have just asked me."

"That's not what I meant." Link said calmly.

A pause.

"It's my fault, not yours." I spoke, voicing the thought that was occupying my mind. "I should have realised that you were only joking."

"What?" Link asked, confused by my statement.

"You were only teasing me, right? Only I didn't realise it."

"Sheik." Link spoke, "…I wasn't joking. I was completely serious." the Hero paused before speaking again. "I…kissed you because...I wanted to." he spoke, raising a hand to my face and gently running his thumb across my cheek.

My heart shot into my throat as his gaze met mine. I panicked and leapt to my feet, startling the Hero.

"Sheik." Link spoke , getting to his feet and approaching me. "I meant every word I said…" he spoke sincerely, resting his hands on my shoulders. "I don't regret kissing you because…I'm in love with you." he said softly with a small smile before lowering his lips to mine.

I felt like my heart would burst. Without hesitation, I responded to his touch and I felt like all my troubles were more bearable as he held me in his arms. After a few moments we broke apart and I voiced the lingering concern at the back of my mind.

"Link, we can't do this. It's forbidden. What if she finds out?" I said nervously, my worry showing in my shaky voice. I knew immediately by his expression that he knew who I was referring to.

"I don't care if it's forbidden. And Zelda won't find out about us because she won't know." He spoke fiercely.

"But, Link." I said anxiously, "It's too dangerous…What if she realises? What if she finds out?"

"No one here knows who we are. No one will tell her about us." Link spoke softly, running his thumb across my cheek and pulling me into another embrace.

(Meanwhile...)  
Impa strode into the Castle Courtyard where the Princess Zelda sat reading underneath the window. As she approached the steps where the Princess was sitting, Zelda looked up from her book.

"Your Highness..." Impa addressed, bowing slightly to the Princess.

"Any news of Link and the Sheikah?" Zelda spoke sharply, closing the book she was reading with some force. "I want to know everything; Where did they go?" she demanded.

"I am afraid that I did not find them, your Highness." Impa spoke calmly, remaining completely impassive.

"What do you mean you never found them?! I told you not to return until you knew where they were going!" the Princess said angrily.

"You forget that Sheik is one of the Shadow Folk, who excel in concealing themselves in the shadows. It is not easy to find a Sheikah who is as skilled in concealment as Sheik. One cannot walk out into Hyrule Field and expect to find them so easily." Impa commented.

"Silence!" Zelda snapped, "They will be found, I'll make sure of it." she spoke sharply. "Call the Royal Guard." she ordered.

Ten minutes later, the Royal Guard had assembled in the courtyard before Princess Zelda. The Princess contemplated the soldiers in front of her for a moment before addressing them.

"Knights of Hyrule." she said seriously. "You are under my personal orders to find the Hero of Time and the Sheikah that is travelling with him and bring them to me. Search every town and settlement in all of Hyrule; check every inch of the land in your search as the Sheikah is skilled in concealment and ambush. Go now and do not rest until you find them." she spoke and the Royal Guard saluted to the Princess Zelda before leaving the courtyard and embarking on the mission that Zelda had set.

"Are you sure this is wise, Highness?" Impa asked with interest.

"Of course I am!" Zelda said angrily. "The Hero of Time is not allowed to just wander off, and that filthy Sheikah needs to be put in his place." she said fiercely. "When they are found they will be brought to me, whether they want to or not."


	8. Nightmares and Reality

Chapter 8: Nightmares and Reality

A darkened room. lit dimly with torches placed on either side of the corridor. The place seemed to resemble the Shadow Temple. It was then that I saw a figure crouched on all fours on the floor, his left arm clutching his torso.

I moved forward a few paces and it was then that I caught sight of green fabric. The Hero was injured.

I ran down the hallway, but my movements were slowed as thought trance-like and ethereal. I screamed out to him, my voice shrill and tearing at my throat as panic blinded my vision. I ran to his side and the Hero raised his head as I approached.

His dulled cerulean orbs locked onto the space behind me and I noticed a deep gash in his hairline, the dark red liquid marring his golden bangs and running down the side of his face. The Hero didn't seem to register that I was there, his gaze focusing behind me.

I began to turn round, but the sound of light footsteps reached my ears. I froze as the footsteps stopped directly behind me. Before I could stand, a sharp pain pierced my back and a scream tore at my throat. I could feel the cold steel of a short knife wedged between my spine and my left shoulder blade. I let out a rattling gasp as pain shot through my body, the blade being driven deeper into my flesh.

As the blade was curved inward, scraping against the back of my ribcage, the owner of the weapon leaned over my shoulder and whispered into my ear.

"Stay away from him, Sheikah." a voice laced with malice spoke, the blade was viciously wrenched free and I screamed as the wound was torn open at this movement. As I doubled over in pain, the hem of an elegant floor length pink dress swept past as the figure walked past me down the hall.

I awoke violently, sitting bolt upright and breathing heavily as the images from my nightmare still flashed in my mind. It was several moments before I remembered that it was only a dream, and I lay back down, trying to forget what I had dreamt.

I turned onto my side restlessly as I tried to will myself to sleep, but with those images still fresh in my mind, I knew it was impossible. I stared at the wooden rafters of the ceiling for a while, before deciding to play some music on the roof as usual.

I slowly edged over the side of the bed, hoping not to wake the sleeping Hero on the other side of the room. The only window, I realised, was on the opposite side of the room and Link's bed was pushed up against the wall beneath it, meaning that I would have to climb over his bed to climb out of the open window and onto the roof.

Silently, I picked up my lyre from the cabinet and quietly stepped onto the frame of Link's bed and over the sleeping Hero to the window ledge. I stepped slowly, taking care of where I was standing when something seized my left ankle and I stumbled into the open window, my shin colliding forcefully with the window sill.

Cursing under my breath, I quickly glanced at the Hero, checking that he was still asleep and looked down at my ankle and saw that Link had grabbed hold of my leg in a vice-like grip. I tried to shake my ankle free, but he was holding on too tightly for me to get loose. The only way that I could think of to free my leg would be to reach back and prise my ankle from his grip.

I knelt down on my other knee, trying to overlook the fact that I was straddling the Hero's waist and rested my chin on Link's torso, praying to the Goddesses that Link wouldn't wake up as I reached back towards my ankle and tried to free it from his grasp.

After a few moments, I managed to break Link's grip on my ankle, but before I could move away, the Hero moved his left arm, placing it over his chest and pinning me in place.

I cursed again and I knew I was blushing. I could imagine the smirk on Link's face if he saw me in such a compromising situation and I mentally reprimanded myself for being in such close proximity to the Hero.

Carefully, I tried to loosen his grip, but I saw a faint smile appear on the Hero's face as he slowly opened his eyes and grinned in amusement at the situation.

"Going somewhere?" he asked mildly, completely unperturbed by the situation, which made me wonder if he had only been pretending to be asleep. "I realise that I'm hard to resist, but please don't try to molest me in my sleep." he said, jokingly.

"You're the one who grabbed me." I spoke, embarrassed about the position I was currently in. I wrenched free of his grip and sprang away from him, onto the windowsill.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one clambering over me in my sleep?" the Hero spoke, smiling.

"I was going outside!" I said, blushing in embarrassment

"And that involves climbing over me how exactly?" Link asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"I was going to the roof! I was climbing out of the window to the roof."

"You're cute when you argue." Link said with a smile, distracting me with his azure blue gaze as he pulled me into a deep kiss. I pulled away sharply and jumped from the open window onto the roof.

I panicked. The Hero was deluding himself, believing that he had feelings towards me, I told myself firmly. I could deny it as much as I wanted, but that didn't make it any less truer that I felt the same.  
I paced up and down on the roof, trying to regulate my thoughts but I couldn't decide what I should do. What if Zelda found out? I already knew that she despised me, but would she hurt Link if she found out about us?

This was not how I was meant to be, panicky and confused. I was meant to be impassive, calm, collected, not look as though I was about to bolt at any minute.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. How could I not suppress these idiotic and downright dangerous notions? I knew the punishments, yet I still allowed myself to fall into the trap by falling in love with the Hero. If I was unable to contain my emotions towards Link for my own sake, then I should have suppressed them for the sake of the Hero. I don't know whether I could bear the burden of knowing that it was my fault if Zelda found out I was harbouring these emotions towards him.

I wanted to punish myself for being so weak. The years that I had spent learning the Sheikah arts, training myself not to feel, only to obey…it seems that they were for naught. I was about to reach into my item pouch for my Senbon needles, when I saw a group of soldiers entering the village. I looked closer, trying to identify where the soldiers had been sent from and saw a red Phoenix with spread wings emblazoned on the Knight's armour.

These were Hylian Knights.

Link sighed. He knew that he shouldn't have teased Sheik; the Sheikah was too volatile for the Hero to be able to joke around with him. Now Sheik had disappeared again. This vanishing act was beginning to become a habit of him, but Link supposed that it was just Sheik's personality. Hopefully, he hadn't strayed too far this time.  
A low whirring sound brought Link out of him musings and a green light flashed from Sheik's item pouch that was sitting on the bedside table between the two beds. Link took the item pouch from the table and searched through its contents, pulling out the green, jade-like stone that was emitting the glow. A length of leather string was tied around the stone with a loop around the end, as though it was meant to be worn as a necklace. As he tightened his grip on the stone, Link could hear a familiar voice echo faintly through the gem.

/Link, this is Impa, can you hear me?/ the Princess' nanny spoke.

"Impa?" Link spoke, "How are you able to speak to me?"

/This is a gossip stone, it's an old Sheikah communications device that we can speak to each other through. I slipped it into Sheik's item pouch the last time we met./ Impa explained.

"What's wrong?" Link asked immediately. If Impa was contacting them, then it wasn't a good sign.

/The Princess Zelda had ordered her Royal Guard to track you and Sheik down and bring you back to the Castle. I wasn't able to stop her from giving the order; it would have caused unnecessary suspicion./

"How long ago was this?"

/Two days ago. If they took the same route as you, then they would have already crossed the border by now. I can't say for certain how long it will take for them to reach you, but I thought that I should at least warn you that they are coming. Good Luck./ she spoke, before the stone dimmed as the transmission ended.

Link sat in disbelieving silence as he contemplated the news that he had just heard. He was interrupted, however, by Sheik swinging in the window from the roof with a look of panic and agitation in his eyes.

"Link." he called out.

"Zelda's Royal Guard are tailing us." Link spoke sharply.

"They've already found us."

"What?!" Link spoke, but his words were drowned out as a loud smash of wood splintering was heard from the floor below.

Sounds of crashing and heavy, marching footsteps grew louder as the guard approached the second floor. Before they could even attempt to make an escape, the door was smashed roughly from its hinges and six burly Hylian Knights walked into the room.

"Hero of Time." the Knight leading the band addressed. "The Princess Zelda requests that we escort you and the Sheikah back to Hyrule Castle. If you do not come willingly, then we will have to use force." the guard spoke.

"What do you mean force? What the hell does Zelda want with us?!" Link demanded.

"You will refrain from using that tone when referring to Her Highness." the man spoke threateningly.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Link retorted, but this action snapped the knight's patience and he stepped forward angrily. Link parried this move, stepping swiftly in front of Sheik. Link was unarmed, so had no chance of taking on six armed Hylian Knights. It would be difficult to fight more than two Knights at a time while he was armed, but if he managed to evade them, that would buy them time to escape.

Link glanced to the side; his sword and shield lay resting against the bedside table. If he was quick enough, he might be able to reach his weapons before the situation descended into a brawl.

The Knight seemed to realise this move, however, as when Link dived towards the weapons, the Knight intercepted the movement and struck out, backhanding the Hero forcefully with a gauntleted fist and knocking Link off balance. Link collided with the sharp edge of the bed frame, the point of the wood, scarring his back as he was thrown into it.

"I will ask you again. Come quietly before we are forced to injure you." the Knight spoke. Link snarled angrily and lunged at the Knight, drawing back his fist and slamming it into the Knight's jaw.

"Sheik, run!" he called out as another guard moved forward to restrain him.


	9. Into the Lion's Den

Chapter 9: Into the Lion's Den

Sheik sprang away from the Knights, before taking a fighting stance as the Knights stepped towards him. Sheik waited for a moment, before going for his weapons and realising a moment too late that he was also unarmed. A split second passed in which Sheik considered his options. He was unarmed and, unlike Link, was too lightweight to be able to fight off the Hylian guards. His only option was to try and evade them to escape.

Sheik bolted towards the open window, but the Knight that was advancing towards him intercepted this move by tackling him to the ground and restrained him. The Sheikah struggled and flailed as the Knight fastened shackle bolts around his wrists, but was unable to shake off the knight.

Sheik managed to free one of his legs and he kicked out hard, pushing the Knight away from him and the Sheikah struggled to his feet, attempting to make another escape.

However, the Knight seized Sheik again and, before he could begin to shake of the guard, he was subdued. As the Knight secured him, he stabbed a syringe into the Sheikah's neck and injected the liquid into Sheik's bloodstream, which made his body go limp, his vision blurring as he collapsed to the ground.

"Sheik!" Link called out as he saw the Sheikah collapse and the Hero made re-newed attempts against his captors, but the Knight who had been restraining Sheik now advanced upon him. The Knight seized the Hero by the throat and pinned him to the wall, taking out another syringe identical to the one he had used on Sheik and stabbed it into Link's neck. The Hero struggled against his captor, trying to prise free of the Knight's grip, but the guard injected the liquid then grabbed the Hero and threw him violently into the doorframe and the Hero lost consciousness as his head rammed into the solid stone of the wall.

(Sheik's P.O.V)  
I slowly opened my heavy eyes, my vision blurry at first and beginning to focus as I came around. As I looked around my surroundings, I could feel a throbbing pain in my right temple and my hair was sticking to the side of my face as a cold liquid marred the side of my head.

As I came to my senses, I saw that I was confined in a barred, darkened and damp basement-like room that was lit dimly with torches bathing the hallway beyond the cell in pockets of light. I tried to stand and I could hear the sound of chains clinking as I moved. I had been confined in Hyrule Castle dungeons.

She knew. Goddesses, she knew about me and Link. Panic flooded my mind; I needed to escape and quickly.

I stood up sharply, but my legs buckled as I tried to get to my feet and I slumped back to the ground. My limbs felt stiff and heavy and there was a stinging sensation all over my body.

They had poisoned me. That was the only explanation. They had drugged me so that I wouldn't be able to make an escape. I sat silently, hearing my heart race frantically in my ears as I tried to think a way out of the situation. The sound of a metal gate opening a short distance away reached my ears and I saw the person that I feared and hated in equal measure step through the doorway.

Princess Zelda flanked by two armed Hylian guards walked into the dungeons. I watched in horror as she approached my cell, the guard unlocked the door and the Princess walked towards me.

"Secure him." she ordered and the knights hauled me roughly to my feet, slammed me against the wall and fastened my wrists into tight shackle bolts. As she stood before me, I could see the vindictive gleam in her cruel gaze and I knew that I was in serious trouble. Before she spoke, she tore the cowl from my face, her nails scratching the side of my face as she did so.

"Now you won't be able to mask your emotions, Sheikah." she hissed. I glared angrily at her and opened my mouth to retort, but she drew her hand sharply across my face and I tasted blood in my mouth.

"Did you think that you would be able to defy me forever?" she demanded and I glared at her anew, but knew better than to answer back. "Did you think that I did not know about your sordid little obsession with the Hero?" she asked, but I didn't dare answer the question in fear that I might endanger Link. "He's mine. He belongs to me and do not think that he will escape punishment. It's your fault, Sheikah. You have condemned him. The last seven years of his life will be erased again. You will no longer be in his memories, nor will he realise who you are. He will forget you, Sheik, like the worthless shadow you are." She spat and I gaped at her, shocked to the core by this declaration, panic flooding my mind.

"You disgust me, you filthy shadow. You have disobeyed me and you must be punished." she spoke before reaching out to take a short knife that had a curve in the end from one of the knights and she held it in front of her. "You will be given the worst dishonour possible for a Sheikah. I will make you weep blood." she said, before motioning for her guards to secure me more tightly.

I desperately tried to escape; I kicked and flailed around trying to shake off the guards as I knew what was coming. The guards seized me, one pinning my arms to my side, the other wrenching my head back as though he was about to slit my throat and grabbed my chin to stop me from moving my head. I whimpered and struggled to get free, but there was no way for me to escape.

The Princess Zelda held the blade up to my face, the curve turned inwards and hovering a few millimetres from my skin. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see her lower the knife to my face and I grimaced as the steel pierced the skin just below my left eye socket. I didn't dare cry out, even though the pain seared through my body as the blade was slowly drawn down my cheek in a long line, ending just before it reached my chin. She had scarred a crude line in the style of a teardrop below my eye. The Blood Tear. She was making my treachery visible by carving that mark into my skin to show that I had forfeited my Oath.

The Princess Zelda stepped away from me wordlessly, a look of satisfied venom on her face, leaving me in no doubt that she did not feel remorse for her actions. Then she left, ordering for her guards to follow.

Hours later, I heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching and looked up to see a guard approaching my cell. As he unlocked the cell door and removed the manacles that bound my arms, I realised that I had a chance to escape. In the few moments between the guard releasing me from my chains and attempting to fasten manacles around my wrists, I pushed and shoved, trying to loosen the guard's grip on my arms, but I wasn't strong enough. As I flailed and squirmed, quite obviously trying to escape, the guard rammed his knee forcefully into my stomach. I gasped in pain, winded and unable to breathe as I fell to the ground and the guard fastened the manacles around my wrists then roughly dragged me into another room down the dark corridor.

As I was shoved into a large square room that was empty except for two roughly cut beams of wood strapped into an X shape, resembling a crucifix that was free standing in a corner. I knew what the cross was used for; I remembered seeing them under the Well of Three Features in Kakariko Village.

My suspicions were confirmed when a masked Knight stepped into the room, a thick steel chain attached to his belt. This was a punishment chamber. I was to be beaten and flogged until I lost consciousness with the steel chain the Knight carried as punishment for my actions.

The Knight advanced upon me and I backed away, knowing that I would be unable to fight back as my wrist were bound and the door was barred shut.

"So, you disgusting little freak, are you ready to accept your punishment?" the Knight growled in a raspy voice and I knew that I was in serious trouble.

When Link had regained consciousness, the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. The Hero groaned in pain as he tried to stand, pain searing through his head and he winced as the blow to his head throbbed. His limbs were stiff and heavy, his vision unfocused and the Hero found it difficult to stay balanced as he slowly got to his feet.  
The Hero stumbled ungainly towards his supplies in search of a healing fairy to ease his wounds. He rifled through his equipment and pulled out a bottled fairy, un-corked the glass jar and the fairy circled around his body and his injuries were lessened, allowing Link to think clearly.

They'd taken Sheik, as Link knew they would have. Obviously Zelda was in a hurry to get them back to Hyrule. Why had they not taken his as well while he had been unconscious? But then, the Hero realised that it was meant as a trap. Zelda knew that he'd chase after the Knights in order to free Sheik, so she knew that if the Sheikah was captured and detained at Hyrule Castle, then Link would follow them there.

Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time from his item pouch and collected his belongings before preparing to warp. The reason that the had not used the Ocarina's warping ability to flee from Hyrule was that it was too easy to trace and intercept. Now, however, Zelda would be expecting him and he needed to get to Sheik quickly. He knew that the Princess despised Sheik and the Hero remembered Sheik worrying about the consequences if Zelda found out about them. The Hero raised the ocarina to his lips and played the Prelude of Light, light enveloping his figure as he warped to the Temple of Time.

Link arrived back on the marble pedestal in the Temple of Time and sprinted out of the building towards Hyrule Castle. As he ran down the dirt path towards the locked metal gate that led to the Castle, he roared at the sentry to open it, who, after recognising the Hero, hastily did as he was told and granted him access to the Castle.

The Hero walked across the drawbridge and through the large door way into Hyrule Castle, striding purposely down the hallway, his anger rising as thoughts of what she could have done to Sheik filled his mind.

After navigating the long corridors, the Hero had found the Princess Zelda in the courtyard, reading quietly as though nothing was wrong. The sight of her ignited his rage and he stormed towards the Princess.

"What have you done with Sheik?! Where is he?!" he demanded. Princess Zelda merely blinked at this outburst.

"I am afraid I don't know." she spoke calmly. She was playing innocent, Link thought angrily, and this only made his anger swell.

"Don't you dare act as thought you know nothing." Link spoke in a deadly whisper, "Where is Sheik?"

The Princess Zelda considered him for a moment before snapping her book shut and getting to her feet, an irritated expression on her face.

"He is being detained." she stated. "He disobeyed me."

"What is the meaning of this? Why did you send those Knights to pursue us?"

"I wished to speak with you." Zelda lied.

"The real reason." Link ordered and Princess Zelda hesitated before speaking again in a resentful tone.

"He defied my orders. He has done nothing but interfere ever since you awakened from your stasis. He disobeyed me so he is being punished. And you…" she trailed off as Link was seized from behind by two armed Knights who had heard the disturbance. "Aided the filthy Sheikah in his escape. You resisted capture when my guards were sent to bring both of you to me." she concluded. "Take him away." she spoke to the guards, who led him through the castle and into the basement where the dungeons were located.

The Hero was led down the darkened basement hallway which was dimly lit with torches on the walls at intervals of a few feet. Through the gloom, Link could see that he was passing several empty cells before seeing an immobile figure lying on the floor of one of the cells. The figure was lying on their side, their back against the bars of the cell and, as Link drew level with the cell, he recognised the figure's garb and his blood ran cold.

It was Sheik.

"Sheik!" Link called out, trying to stop himself from being dragged away by the guard. The Sheikah did not respond, nor did he move as Link called out again, desperately worried by Sheik's lack of response. Link began to struggle against his captor so that he could help Sheik, but the guard backhanded him across the face with a gauntleted hand, dragged him further down the hallway and threw him into a cell on the eastern wing of the dungeons, fastening shackle bolts to Link's wrists before locking the cell door and leaving.

(Link's P.O.V)  
I sat in the corner of my cell, staring blankly at some point beyond the bars of the cell, my thoughts fixed on Sheik. I couldn't seem to get the image of his lifeless form out of my head. What had they done to him? The Princess Zelda had said that he was being punished, but she did not say what his punishment was.

As I continued to dwell on my thoughts, I heard the clang of the metal gates opening a short distance away, and Princess Zelda and two guards stepped into the dungeons. I scrambled to my feet as she approached my cell, intending to demand what she had done to Sheik, but the Princess Spoke first.

"I expect that you now realise why I am detaining you here." she spoke silkily.

"What have you done to Sheik?" I asked quickly.

"That is none of your concern." she snapped in an icy tone. "Tell me, Hero of Time, why did you defy me?"

"I was not aware that my life was under you control, Highness." he spat angrily.

"Oh, I'm afraid it is, Hero." she spoke, "And this time I'll make sure that your memories are erased permanently."


	10. Reunion of Lost Memories

Chapter 10: Reunion of Lost Memories

(Sheik's P.O.V)

I heard his scream, shrill and magnified as the sound re-bounded off of the stone walls, and I knew that the mind erasing procedure had been performed. My eyes burned as the sound of his screaming tore at my heart and I knew that there was nothing that I could do.

It had all been for naught.

A sound of defeat escaped my lips as I wept; for the second time, the Princess Zelda had destroyed both my life and the life of the Hero. The sound of a metal door sliding opening from a distance reached my ears and I looked up to see the Princess approach my cell. I could see the smug satisfaction on Zelda's face and knew that she was enjoying in my torment, taking pleasure in destroying everything that I cared about.

"It has been done." Zelda spoke tonelessly and I immediately knew what she meant. "Now, Sheikah." she began and I could tell from the cruel look in her eyes that she had not yet finished punishing me. "I once again hold the Ocarina of Time in my hand." she said, pulling out the blue oval shaped object and holding it in front of me. "You know it's power, and you know what it can be used for." she spoke, "It's your fault, Sheikah. If you had not interfered then the Hero would never have been hurt. Now you are the one to blame for what I must do. The Hero is not the only one who will forget.'

'The Flow of Time will be reversed back to before the Hero awakened. Only you and I will remember; the rest of the land will remain ignorant." she spoke and my mind was blank with denial, unable o believe that Zelda would go to such lengths just to spite me.

The Princess raised the Ocarina of Time to her lips and began to play the Song of the Royal Family. As the notes echoed throughout the dungeon, a blue light began to form around the Princess and myself, enveloping our figures in a prism, which spun rapidly and my vision faded to white.

As I came to my sense, I saw that we were no longer in the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. We were standing in what appeared to be the sky. A vast expanse of clear blue sky as far as the eye could see, with the ground we were standing on seeming to be nothing but thin air.

As I looked around, I could see the faint glint of gold in the distance and I looked upon the three Sacred Triangles, the Triforce, revolving slowly high above the land and I realised that we were in the Holy Plain, The Sacred Realm.

As moments passed, I noted that time did not flow normally in this realm, and as the Princess Zelda walked towards me, I noticed that no sound existed in this realm either as her footsteps were silent.

"All shall return to how it was seven years ago." the Princess spoke, her words echoing throughout the silent dimension. "It is my wish that you play your role exactly as you did the first time you met the Hero. Trying to force him to remember is useless, and my mercy has limits. If you try to interfere, I cannot guarantee that you will survive if you have to be punished again." she spoke sternly, and I understood that I could not defy her this time; there was nothing to fight for, the Hero would never remember anything.

"Here, you'll be needing this." Zelda spoke, handing over my cowl that she had confiscated from me and I replaced the mask over my face with a heavy heart. The Princess raised the ocarina to her lips again and played the Song of the Royal Family for the second time, the blue light forming a prism around my body, the prism's spinning making me disorientated as my vision blanked out to white.

The Princess Zelda had teleported me back to the broken drawbridge that led into Castle Town and I realised that she had transported me here so that I could see the wreckage to confirm that time had been returned to before Link had awakened. I quickly walked into what remained of the burnt out Castle Town, avoiding the re-animated forms of those that had perished in the blaze and entered the Temple of Time.  
As I walked into the temple and hurried towards the Master Sword chamber, I noticed that the Spiritual Stones were revolving inches above their hollows and the Door of Time lay open; another indication that time had been reverted, and I walked into the open chamber, noticing the vacant Pedestal of Time and took my place.

I waited in the shadows of the Master Sword Chamber, unable to stop myself from remembering this meeting the first time round. Curse Zelda, I thought resentfully. The Princess had only reverted back time and erased the memories of Link and everyone else in the land except from herself and I out of malice; to punish me for my actions. She was punishing me in the way she knew would hurt me more than being lashed or beaten. She was punishing me by breaking my heart, making me re-live the moments that Link and I shared without the Hero being able to recall anything. He would be unaware that anything had happened; as far as he was concerned, he was waking up from his stasis for the first time. To Link, it would be like nothing ever happened.

Just the thought of it made a lump rise in my throat, but I tried to force down my pain. I knew exactly what would happen and what I must now do. When the Hero appeared, recite to him the Legend of the Temples and tell him to go to Kakariko Village.

Pretend that nothing happened. The thought of it made me feel empty, as though my soul was missing and only a shell of my former self remained.

I pushed away my thoughts and concentrated on the light filtering into the octagonal chamber from the high windows and fell across the empty Master Sword pedestal where the Blade of Evil's Bane had rested, waiting.

I had lost track of the time I had stood leaning against the back wall of the chamber and, after a while, a column of light materialised from the high ceiling and travelled down onto the pedestal where it dispersed, leaving a green-clad figure in its wake.

It was time.

I stepped out of the shadows, revealing my presence to the Hero and noted the cruel irony of the motion. The Hero wheeled round, removing the Master Sword from its sheath as he did so, a parody of the exact same movement that he did the first time that we met in this room. I saw a look of confusion flit across his face and, in that moment, I hoped and prayed to the Goddesses that something would have gone wrong and that he would be able to recall our relationship, even if it was only an ounce of the memories we shared. As he opened his mouth to speak, I waited, pleading that it had gone wrong.

"Who are you?" he spoke, the sheer honesty of the words, although curious, sounded raw and callous.

And I was crushed.

I had expected that it would hurt to have the one you love completely forget your existence, but the honesty of his tone was like having my heart torn out. I took a deep breath, steadying my mind, but my eyes burned and I tried to hold back my tears.

"I've been waiting for you…" I spoke, my voice cracking as I repeated the words that I had first spoken to Link. "…Hero of Time." I said, my voice choking as the lump in my throat pressed against my windpipe, making it difficult to breathe. I walked forwards, towards the Hero just as I had done seven years previously, stopping a few feet from him and prepared for the next part of my speech.

A few moments passed and I found that I could not complete what I had to say. To repeat the same speech that I gave him the first time we met would mean that I was dismissing the memories that we had, and that thought tore at my heart.

But I had no choice. Time was passing and the Hero waited for me to continue. I couldn't bear to look at Link, and I could already feel the tears welling in my eyes, but I had to carry on with my speech. I took a moment to compose myself, closing my eyes and steeling myself for what I knew must be done before speaking again.

"When evil rules all…" I began, my voice wavering as tears seeped from my eyes and ran down my masked face. "An awakening v-voice from the Sacred Realm will call t-those destined to be S-sages…who d-dwell in the five T-temples-" I broke off as I collapsed to my knees, now sobbing my heart out and hardly caring that I was weeping in front of a stranger. I couldn't complete it. I couldn't…

"-One in a deep forest." the Hero spoke up and I hardly dared to breathe.

"One on a high mountain."

My mind was deceiving me.

"One under a vast lake."

I hadn't heard what he said properly.

"One inside the House of the Dead."

No it couldn't be.

"One inside a Goddess of the Sand." he said and my eyes snapped open, gazing into the Hero's eyes, searching his expression. "Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world. This is the Legend of the Temples passed down by the Sheikah." he concluded, a gentle smile on his face as he kneeled down beside me and raised me to my feet.

"Link…?" I whispered, my eyes wide, hoping that it was true.

"You're supposed to say 'I am Sheik, survivor of the Sheikah" and then comment on how much I look like the Hero of Legend." Link spoke, smiling broadly.

"Link!" I cried and flung myself into his arms, forgetting about dignity as I sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder.

"Shhh." he consoled, kissing the top of my head as I clung to him, afraid to let go in case it was not true. "It's okay, I'm here."

"I'm so sorry." I managed to speak, "I'm so sorry, Link. She hurt you because of me. It's my fault."

"It doesn't matter; I'm alright."

"Why didn't Zelda's memory erasing work? I though that you wouldn't remember anything." I spoke, having calmed down a bit.

"Luckily for us, Zelda is yet to master the art of mind manipulation." Link spoke, "It didn't affect me."

"But she had still reversed time back to your awakening. You'll need to defeat Ganondorf again." I spoke sadly, "What will you do?"

"…Nothing." Link spoke, "The Princess Zelda will need to learn that she cannot control people's lives. I do not belong to her, nor do I feel obliged to help her after everything that she had done. She has to learn that I am not a tool that she can command into battle whenever she chooses."

"I though I'd lost you." I whispered into his neck, my head resting on his shoulder.

"I couldn't forget about you if I tried." Link smiled fondly, running a thumb across my cheek and brushing aside the hair that covered the left side of my face and as he did so, he felt the scar that now ran down my left cheek.

"What's this?" he asked quickly, concerned as he studied the wound closely.

"My punishment." I answered plainly, "If a Sheikah forfeits his Blood Oath or defies orders, then he is punished and this is the highest disrespect possible. So The Princess Zelda gave me this, the Blood Tear, as a visible sign of my shaming."

"Zelda cut this mark into your skin?!" Link asked angrily, his voice growing louder in rage.

"It could have been a lot worse." I reasoned, "I got off lightly, even though she knew about us." I spoke, but saw that Link was still angered. "It's not important." I spoke, trying to make Link see my point of view, "What's important is that she didn't hurt you. I would have never forgiven myself if she hurt you…" I murmured quietly.

"Was that an 'I love you'?" Link asked softly with almost a purr to his voice, a boyish grin on his face.

In that moment, I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I knew that I would be unable to put my emotions into words. I pulled down the cowl that masked my face, tentatively leaning in to gently press my lips to his in a chaste and tender motion, initiating the kiss for the first time. After a moment, I broke the contact and nervously tried to gauge his reaction. He looked a little taken-aback, but smiled warmly and returned the kiss, pulling me into an embrace.

"Well…I have already told you once that 'young love will become deep affection', haven't I?"

End


End file.
